1952

November 4: United States presidential election, 1952: Democrat Governor of Illinois Adlai Stevenson II defeats Republican President of Columbia University Dwight D. Eisenhower (correctly predicted by the UNIVAC computer).

1953

January 14: The CIA-sponsored Robertson Panel first meets to discuss the UFO phenomenon.

January 19: 71.1% of all television sets in the United States are tuned into I Love Lucy to watch Lucy give birth to Little Ricky, which is more people than those who tuned into Adlai Stevenson II's inauguration the next day. This record has yet to be broken.

January 20: Adlai Stevenson II succeeds Harry S. Truman as the 34th President of the United States.

January 22:The Crucible, a drama by Arthur Miller, opens on Broadway.

February 5: Walt Disney's feature film Peter Pan premieres.

February 28: James Watson and Francis Crick of the University of Cambridge announce their discovery of the structure of the DNA molecule.

March 19: The 25th Academy Awards ceremony is held (the first one broadcast on television).